Looking Up

Five minutes at the end of each week explores the big and the small questions in astronomy, cosmology, and space science. Hosted by Kechil Kirkham, no subject is too big or too small, and experts are regularly brought on board to illuminate and excite. Cape Town is the place to be for astronomy, with some of the largest telescopes in the world housed or being built not too far away. Looking Up takes advantage of the shoals of scientists and engineers working on the planet’s most advanced astronomy projects, who live and work right here in the Mother City. Kechil has recently acquired an MPhil in Space Studies at the University of Cape Town, and works in South Africa’s space industry on the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope.

Looking Up - 08 Oct 25 - Low frequency gravitational waves

Are we bobbing about on a sea of low frequency gravitational waves?

10-08
05:12

Looking Up - 01 Oct 25 - Prof Jessica Dempsey, Director General Square Kilometer Array

Looking Up 1,000! Prof Jessica Dempsey is the upcoming Director General of the Square Kilometer Array, one of the biggest science projects in the world. She talks to Kechil about her new role.

10-01
05:14

Looking Up - 24 Sept 25 - Fast Radio Bursts

Masters student Kira Hanmer talks about mysterious Fast Radio Bursts.

09-24
05:34

Looking Up - 17 Sept 25 - The Mars Perseverance rover

The Mars Perseverance rover - has it found evidence of life?

09-17
05:23

Looking Up - 10 Sept 25 - Dr Sushant Dutta performs post-mortems of radio galaxies

Dr Sushant Dutta performs post-mortems of radio galaxies. He explains why to Kechil.

09-10
05:16

Looking Up - 03 Sept 25 - Molecular Hydrogen, Plus a lunar eclipse on 7th September.

A terrible description of molecular hydrogen in the early universe. Plus a lunar eclipse on 7th September.

09-03
05:09

Looking Up - 27 Aug 25 - Anti-matter

A few years ago scientists went hunting for stars made from anti-matter. What did they find?

08-27
04:12

Looking Up - 20 Aug 25 - Karen Lee-Waddell, the director of the Australian SKA

Australia and South Africa are the locations of the massive Square Kilometre Array radio telescope. Karen Lee-Waddell, the director of the Australian SKA Regional Centre talks to Kechil about it.

08-20
04:55

Looking Up - 13 Aug 25 - Dr Anna Bosman, computer scientist

Dr Anna Bosman, computer scientist at the University of Pretoria, talks to Kechil about using machine learning in astronomy

08-13
07:01

Looking Up - 06 Aug 25 - JUICE spacecraft

Do you want to listen to what the JUICE spacecraft heard when it flew by the Earth?

08-06
04:57

Looking Up - 30 July 25 - Where is all the matter in the universe?

Where is all the matter in the universe? How are Fast Radio Bursts being used to find where it is?

07-30
04:41

Looking Up - 23 July 25 - What about Uranus?

What about Uranus? That cold, distant planet. New research intimates we should send another probe.

07-23
05:02

Looking Up - 16 July 25 - Machine learning in astronomy.

Dr Michelle Lochner talks to Kechil about machine learning in astronomy.

07-16
04:41

Looking Up - 09 July 25 - FMR's John Woodland

FMR's John Woodland is putting on a series of stellar choral concerts called 'The Place of the Stars' with Vox in the Observatory McClean dome and talks to Kechil about it in the dome itself.

07-09
06:44

Looking Up - 02 July 25 - Dr Karen Lee-Waddell, Director of the AusSRC.

Australia and South Africa are set to collaborate closely for decades to come in radio astronomy and here to tell us about it is Dr Karen Lee-Waddell, Director of the AusSRC.

07-02
00:04

Looking Up - 25 June 25 - The amazing Vera C Rubin telescope has switched on!

The amazing Vera C Rubin telescope has switched on! South Africa is involved, find out about the biggest camera in the world and what it's going to do.

06-25
04:49

Looking Up - 18 June 25 - The Place of the Stars

FMR's John Woodland is putting on a series of stellar choral concerts called 'The Place of the Stars' with Vox in the Observatory McClean dome and talks to Kechil about it in the dome itself.

06-18
05:20

Looking Up - 11 June 25 - Professor Oleg Smirnov and Kechil talk more about PARROT pulsar

Professor Oleg Smirnov at Rhodes University and SARAO talks some more to Kechil about the PARROT pulsar.

06-11
05:01

Looking Up - 04 June 25 - Distinguished Prof. Oleg Smirnov talks to Kechil

Distinguished Prof. Oleg Smirnov talks to Kechil about taking radio videos of transients.

06-04
05:06

Looking Up - 28 May 25 - The Blue Danube in space!

The Blue Danube in space! Take a look at https://space.vienna.info/en-US. The European Space Agency is blasting Strauss into the Universe.

05-28
05:10

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